DEAKIN OPTOMETRY

CLINICAL RESIDENTIAL PLACEMENT PROGRAM

www.optomsupervisor.com

UNIVERSITY

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Associate Professor Craig Woods BSc(Hons), PhD, MCOptom, FACO

Foundation Director and Chair in Optometry Deakin University

INVITATION TO BECOME PART OF THE FUTURE OF OPTOMETRIC EDUCATION This prospectus will provide you with an overview of Deakin Optometry’s Clinical Residential Placement Program, what it means to become a clinical supervisor, the benefits to you and what our students are capable of. The program will strengthen your involvement in our great profession and ensure the future of sustainable eye care in Australia.

All of our students have worked very hard to reach this final stage of their studies and upon commencing placements they really are optometrists-in-training. The key to each residential placement is immersion in the world of real-life, day-to-day optometry. This naturally includes activities both inside and outside of the consulting room.

With our first cohort of optometry students having recently completed their six month placement in real community based practices Deakin is now seeking to expand its network of clinical supervisors.

This is your chance to guide the future generation of optometrists in what you see are the most important lessons. Please take the opportunity by first registering your interest at www.optomsupervisor.com.

Thank you,

Associate Professor Craig Woods

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OUR MISSION

DEAKIN OPTOMETRY TRAINING CENTRE A state-of-the-art 11 lane dedicated Deakin Optometry Training Centre has been established at the Australian College of Optometry in Melbourne, where our students further advance their clinical skills training and engage directly in primary eye care.

Our mission is to produce optometry graduates that:

• will improve the eye health of Australiansparticularly Indigenous Australians and those living in regional areas

• practise with respect to the social, legaland ethical responsibilities of optometrists

• are highly sought-after and work-ready with high standards of clinical competence

• have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to operate effectively in a competitive commercial environment

• have developed enduring behaviours for continuous self-directed learning and professional development.

The Deakin optometry program is now a world class qualification. At the heart of the program are our values of innovation, evidence-based practice and a genuine commitment to connect to the eye-care industry.

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The Clinical Residential Placement Program occupies the final six months of the Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Optometry, during which time each student is placed in an optometry practice. While students will remain connected with the University, for all intents and purposes, they become members of their host practice.

By the time students reach this component of the Master of Optometry, they will have developed the skills and knowledge that are fundamental to the practice of optometry. The two-and-a-half years of study prior to the Clinical Residential Placement Program equip the students to work as an optometrist-in-training, and the opportunity to work with you for six months will provide further experience, enhance their skills and knowledge and enable them to enter the workforce.

We are seeking support from optometry practices to host our students and provide them with an opportunity to work in an environment where they will be exposed to customers, patients, eye care professionals and the community.

As a clinical supervisor you will have the student ‘working’ in your practice for four days per week. Before you become a clinical supervisor you will need to complete a short online training program. This training will help you to transfer your skills and knowledge to our student during their 26-week placement. In addition, we have developed a Supervisor Operations Manual and a support service to assist you.

The student undertaking their Clinical Residential Placement Program learns through a combination of self-directed, guided and serendipitous opportunities. We encourage both the student and their supervisor to experiment with what works best, using a suggested framework that we provide in our Supervisor Operations Manual. This ensures adequate exposure to the range of issues dealt with in optometry.

Before our students commence the program, they will have provided comprehensive services to approximately 20 patients at the Australian College of Optometry and will have passed both their didactic and clinical skills assessments across eight trimesters at University. They will have basic skills in a range of clinical, professional and optical activities and will be able to deliver a full eye examination within one hour.

WHAT IS THE CLINICAL RESIDENTIAL PLACEMENT PROGRAM? THE CAPSTONE OF DEAKIN’S INNOVATIVE OPTOMETRY PROGRAM

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A COMMITMENT TO REGIONAL OPTOMETRYIn 2015 Deakin Optometry launched an initiative aimed at addressing the regional and rural optometry workforce shortage. Students undertaking clinical placements for their last six months of study are now required to spend at least three months in a non-metropolitan practice. While some students will undertake the entire six months in a non-metropolitan practice the majority will elect to experience three months in a non-metropolitan practice and three months in a metropolitan practice. This means that supervisors will have the opportunity to host two students during the clinical placement period.

In order to ensure that supervisors need not fear investing time in a student only to lose them as they develop good competency, when the student leaves at the three month mark they will be replaced by another student with the same level of experience.

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What is the Clinical Residential Placement (CRP)?The CRP is where students join a practice/s for a total of 26 weeks, during which time they attend the practice four days per week for 7.5 hours per day. While in the practice students are required to develop their skills and knowledge through experiencing the many tasks undertaken in a community optometry practice. These tasks are not to be confined to those in the consulting room and should include all tasks pertaining to the retail, commerical, managerial, administrative and optical aspects of the business. From a student’s perspective they will both observe and participate in these activities.

When does the CRP take place?The program takes places from mid November until mid May with a two-week break during the Christmas and New Year period.

How many hours of supervision and tuition do I need to provide? A supervising optometrist (either you or another optometrist in your practice who has agreed to be a supervisor) should be present in the practice for no less than four days per week. In addition to supervising the practice- and patient-related activities of your student, to participate in the program you must also agree to provide the student with one hour per week of your time that is completely protected. In addition, it is expected that supervisors will encourage students to achieve their targets for competency by exposing them to a variety of situations both clinical and non-clinical and providing tuition and support in respect of these.

Will I supervise a student every year?If you agree to take a student next year it does not mean that you have committed to the year after.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Do I have to take a student for the full 26 weeks? Yes. Practices will need to take a student or students for a total of 26 weeks.

How do I exit from the program? At no stage are you bound to be a clinical supervisor. If it no longer suits you or your practice to host a Deakin Optometry student, we will arrange to relocate the student.

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DEAKIN OPTOMETRY PROGRAM • Australia’s only accelerated

optometry qualification • Multi-disciplinary studies in Vision

Science, Health and Business • Cutting-edge Vision Science units,

with real life applications • Genuine case-based learning

Do I get paid for supervising a student? There is currently no mechanism of remuneration for supervision of Deakin Optometry students; however we have identified a number of benefits, which may translate to increased practice profitability. See page 14 for further information.

Can I claim Medicare? For a clinical service to be eligible for Medicare benefits, you must have attended to the patient and been involved in their management. Medicare benefits are assigned based on the length of time of your attendance, as per the Medicare Benefits Schedule.

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How is a student assigned to my practice? With a focus on producing work-ready graduates Deakin Optometry gives students the opportunity to arrange their placement in a process that is similar to finding employment.

At present students may be assigned to a practice in one of three phases. In phase one students elect to undertake their placement in one or two non-metropolitan practices. To do so they must identify both the practice and a primary supervisor and obtain agreement for their supervision. In phase two students elect to undertake half of their placement in a non-metropolitan practice and the other half in a metropolitan setting. As is the case with phase one, students must identify the supervisors and practices and obtain agreement for their supervision. In phase three, those students that are not assigned to a practice and supervisor in either of the first two phases will be matched to an accredited practice and supervisor by our Student Experience Team.

Does the student get paid?Students are unpaid and there is no expectation for you to pay them. They undertake placements as a key element of their university studies. Students are committed to gaining experience and clinical skills from you through the normal working week (four days in your practice and one day of engagement with their online curriculum). Should you wish to come to an agreement with the student under which they work additional hours, those would fall outside of the Clinical Residential Placement Program. If this occurs it is our view that the student should be paid for additional hours at a level commensurate with an optical assistant.

Do I need to have therapeutic endorsement?Not necessarily. While it is important that the student gains experience using therapeutic agents, this could be arranged by visits to the eye department at the local hospital or through involvement with another practice in your area, and through anticipating and discussing the therapeutic management necessary for patients that your practice refers on. Alternatively, you may happen to employ another Optometrist in your practice that is therapeutically endorsed.

HOW DOES IT WORK? CONTINUED

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Do I need to pay WorkCover?No. Deakin University provides insurance for all students on placement.

Do I need to provide accommodation or a travel allowance?No. Students are aware that these placements are an essential part of their course, and as such, accommodation expenses whilst on placement are borne by them.

Can I share the supervisory role with others in the practice?Yes. We want our students to get a broad experience of working in a practice. We encourage you to involve others such

as practice managers, dispensers and other optometrists in their supervision. Ideally there should be one person assigned as the primary supervisor, and only an optometrist can supervise services that are eligible for Medicare benefits.

Can I organise a student placement with another practice? Yes this is possible. For instance, a student could undertake observation with a local ophthalmologist or general practitioner. It may be that there are a number of local practices taking a Deakin Optometry student and as a group you may wish to jointly supervise the students.

What happens when I go on holiday?The student must not be left alone to provide clinical services. Our preference would be for a secondary supervisor to look after the student during periods that the primary supervisor is on leave. If there is no secondary supervisor this may also be a time when the student gains valuable experience in other aspects of your optometric practice such as front-of-house duties, dispensing, adjustments and repairs and other enquiries. Where there is no secondary supervisor, holiday periods of two weeks or more will need to be discussed with Deakin and the student to allow for alternative arrangements to be made.

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Will the students be registered, as student optometrists, with the Optometry Board of Australia? Yes. All students will have been registered with the Optometry Board of Australia before they start their placements.

What information about the student will I receive in advance?Deakin Optometry will provide you with the name of the student, their contact details and start and completion dates. You will also receive confirmation of their registration through the Optometry Board of Australia, vaccination status, police and working with children checks, and a clinical competencies checklist.

Before students come into placement, what skills does a Deakin Optometry student have? Before students join a practice for their Clinical Residential Placement Program, they will have attained specific competencies relating to theoretical and clinical skills.

They will have completed 50 ophthalmic and retail dispensing sessions, over 300 hours of clinical skills sessions at Deakin University, as well as over 150 hours in the Deakin Optometry pre-clinical facility at the Australian College of Optometry. They will have undertaken 60 hours of clinical observations and 50 hours of direct patient consultations in the Australian College of Optometry clinics.

Students will have the ability to complete an eye examination within one hour and perform several consultations per day. The student will arrive knowledgeable, willing, enthusiastic and able in areas covered by the following core competencies:

• Communication and patient management • The business of optometry • History and Symptoms • Preliminary ocular assessments • Refraction • External ocular assessment • Internal ocular assessment • Supplementary investigations • Ocular therapeutics • Optical appliances • Contact lens practice • Paediatric practice • Vision rehabilitation

HOW DOES IT WORK? CONTINUED

Register your interest in Deakin Optometry’s Clinical Residential Placement Program at www.optomsupervisor.com

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Students will learn about the full professional and customer service

cycle within our very own retail practice simulation centre.

Retail and customer service standards

Contact lens fitting and tuition

Reception

Eye examination

Pre-examination assessment

Account and job processing

Frame and lens selection

Optical dispensing

PROFESSIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE CYCLE

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Recruitment and succession planning opportunities The Clinical Residential Placement Program is the ideal opportunity for you to assess and consider potential new employees. They will qualify at the conclusion of their placement and will very likely be seeking employment.

Continuing professional development By completing the clinical supervisor-training course and hosting a student, you will be able to claim a minimum of 10 continuing professional development points.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO MY PRACTICE?

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Deakin University Alumnus benefitsEven though you may not have completed your education through Deakin University, becoming an accredited teacher will afford you Alumni status along with the following benefits:

• Use of an @deakin.edu.au email address • Access to Deakin University library and

its online community and support • Access to online subscription services

to the leading optometry and ophthalmology journals

• Recognition as a supervisor in the Deakin Optometry Clinical Residential Program

Potential for conjoint appointments As a supervisor of a Deakin Optometry student you will hold the position of Clinical Associate within the School of Medicine, which comes with numerous academic benefits that are offered to all Deakin staff.

SATISFACTION AND RECOGNITIONBy influencing the next generation of optometrists you are making a statement to your peers about your role within optometry. We have seen that, within the medical profession, the engagement of medical students on placements often creates a very positive opinion within the local community and is typically viewed favourably by the patients of the practice.

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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO MY PRACTICE? CONTINUED

Practice accreditation and teaching practice status Deakin Optometry will have expectations of you and will provide you with training and workshop programs to help you optimise your teaching skills. There are many ways to teach and just as many ways to learn. Realising this diversity can help you understand why a student may not understand what you are saying. Completing the training we offer will not only enhance your teaching skills but also provide you with Continuing Professional Development points and a recognised teaching practice status from Deakin Optometry.

Extra pair of hands A student can gain valuable experience by helping you out during busy periods in your practice. They can be an extra pair of hands in the front of house, in your consulting room, or in the contact lens area. When they are not in the consulting room they can be assigned duties as required. An invaluable advantage of in-work placements is the serendipitous experiences and opportunities gained in a busy environment.

REMAINING AT THE CUTTING EDGEAn advantage often cited by supervisors of students or employees of new graduates is that they arrive with updated information and skills. While the student is there to learn valuable skills from you, they also arrive armed with cutting edge knowledge and often bring this insight to your practice.

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The teaching in our Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Optometry is built on the principles of achieving the following three things:

• Clinical excellence • Professional excellence • Commercial and business acumen

Commercial and business acumen has been included as we know that an awareness of the retail environment is important in the development of a well rounded optometrist. Optometrists-in-training should receive guidance on the importance of a good three-way handover and making professional recommendations as a natural end to their examination.

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

To fulfil the expectations we know are required by a successful optometric practice, we are confident our students will display the following attributes:

• Professionalism • A positive work ethic and attitude • A commitment to patient care and

customer service

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Pictured: The first cohort of Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Optometry students prior to

sitting their final examinations in readiness to commence their career as Optometrists.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST Visit: www.optomsupervisor.com Phone: +61 3 5247 9308 Email: info@optomsupervisor.com

Published by Deakin University in June 2015. While the information in this publication was accurate at the time of publication, Deakin University reserves the right to alter, amend or delete details and information published here.

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